Two amazing friends and their kids were about to move across the country (Miss you, Mylers!), and I just kept thinking of those hours in the car, and what they might want to listen to. So I burned some cds and made these little sleeves for handy keeping.

I chose fabrics from Alexander Henry, Anna Maria Horner’s Good Folks, Art Gallery’s Filligree, & Tufted Tweets and loved how they just went together.

Thinking I might want to recreate them sometime, I started taking notes, but this is as far as it got

because it was pretty simple, really. For each cd envelope, I used heavyweight fusible interfacing inside & made 2 identical 5″ pockets that I just slipped inside each other and sewed closed around the top. I quite liked the result and may be making more of these for little gifts, and for the cds that get tossed around my car.

Then there was a package to send to California for my dear friends who always act as home when I just need to get back there for the beach and some good shopping.  These new Kaffe Fassett prints (Ombre and Radiation) in the Pastel colorway were just calling to be made into something for them, as they could go with all the pastel vintagey kitchenware they have.

I ended up with some cloth napkins and coasters. I went with 16″ square napkins and 4″ square coasters and did a simple right-sides-together-turn-inside-out-and-topstitch method. The coasters have some heavyweight interfacing for sturdiness too.  Looking at them does kind of make me want to have a picnic at the beach.

Been making any hand-sewn gifts lately? Show us in our Flickr Pool!

You’ve spent all that time crafting a totally personal, unique, handmade gift. So why not wrap it up in one-of-a kind handsewn gift wrap too? Or if you didn’t quite have time for handmade gifts this year, this is a quick way to spiff up that present with just a touch of handmade care. Not to mention, it’s a great way to recycle paper grocery bags and other paper around the house.

Let your creativity run wild and try whipping up some custom stitched gift wrap with instructions at our Stitched Holiday Wrapping tutorial.

As the shopping days left till Christmas wane, we are still finding more decorations to put up and trying to finish those last handmade gifts, not to mention scrambling to get in our online shopping before the shipping deadlines. If you feel like we do, and don’t have an extra moment to dream up the perfect gift, consider some suggestions.

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1 - Amy Butler Softwares : $29.29 : for the techie sewist
With over 22 fun projects & patterns in Amy’s modern style, we find this pretty irresistable.

2 - Kaffe Fassett’s Quilt Romance : $24.95 : for the book snob sewist
This is Kaffe’s newest book, with breathtaking photos and quilt patterns that will go straight to that must-do list.

3 – Kinkame European Taupe II Quilt Kit : $55.10 : for the world-travelled sewist
Soft colors to pacify any room with this wall-hanging sized quilt kit including fabric and pattern.

4 - Sweet Harmony Handbag Pattern : $12.95 : for the trendy sewist
The latest and greatest bag pattern from Amy Butler, best of all, this bag definitely won’t have that “home crafts” look (you know what we mean).

5 – Mother Earth & Her Children Puzzle : $18.95 : for the game-loving sewist
This puzzle is based on the award-winning quilt that will amaze long after the puzzle is finished.

6 – Rouenneries Jelly Roll : $35 : for every sewist
French General’s Rouenneries fabric collection has pleased young and old alike. Here we have every print in a sweet little bundle.

7 – Paper Dollies : $16 : for the young-at-heart (or just young!) sewist
Just because you’re grown up doesn’t mean you can’t play with toys on Christmas morning!

8 – Liberty Of London Tana Lawn : $36/yard : for the sophisticated sewist
For someone who won’t indulge on themselves but should, 2 yards of a Liberty print can become a runway worthy blouse or skirt.

My mom has a rule: no shopping for yourself before Christmas. I haven’t quite adopted that rule myself, and with stuff like this around, how could I?

Just remember, orders must be placed by Sunday, December 20 to arrive by Christmas Eve with Priority Shipping.

One of our local Preston creatives, Abby Chase Designs, had contrived an handy travel toothcare kit out of our Anna Maria Horner oilcloth, which you can check out on her blog.  We have been drawn to this extra-wide laminated fabric and thought of using it to make lunch bags, makeup bags, tablecloths, and coaster, and there’s another great idea!  Has anyone seen or come up with some other good uses for oilcloth?